a lifestyle blog

Lip Hoarder Part 2

I am slowly but surely progressing through my personal challenge to wear every lipstick I own (which is over seventy-five, by the way) without repeating them. I want to force myself to try colors outside of my comfort zone and remember why I hardly wear some shades, as well as re-discover old favorites.

2. Clinique Chubby Stick in “Richer Raisin” – Sheer and a little warm for me, but I like the chubby stick formula. I’ve almost used it up completely, but that’s mostly because it’s easy to throw in my bag and apply without a mirror. Minimal effort products get used up more quickly!

3. Lime Crime Velvetine in “Mercury” – Great formula in a shade I expected to love, but the metallic finish made me feel like a robot. I will absolutely try it again with a different lip liner/overall makeup look.

4. Julep It’s Balm Lip Crayon in “Dusty Orchid Shimmer” – I really like the formula of this – it’s moisturizing and relatively long-lasting, considering the chubby-stick-style applicator. I like the color of the balm crayon, but I’m not crazy about the shimmer. I just don’t think shimmer on my lips is a look I can get into for awhile after wearing glittery glosses all through middle school.

5. Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipstick in “Amulet” – I thought I’d hate this – the color was all wrong for me in the tube: a slight shimmery terracotta red. However, once I applied it, I really liked the way the color dried. It had a semi-matte finish with no semblance of shimmer, and it wasn’t nearly as warm as I expected it to be. The formula itself was really nice for a liquid lipstick, non-drying, long-lasting, and it didn’t make my lips look like creepy prunes. The Vice Liquid Lipstick line may be my favorite liquid lipstick formula.

7. Julep Lip Butter in “Dahlia” – This sheer, bright fuchsia was a little controversial when it was released. Julep Lip Butter was released last summer as a “yay, SPF, sun protection!” product, but the SPF 30 expired only a month after they were released. Frankly, I don’t care so much about that, but I get why it pissed people off. Personally, I love the formula for a light wash of color – it’s exceptionally moisturizing.

8. Lipstick Queen “Frog Prince” – Frog Prince is Lipstick Queen’s most popular lipstick, primarily because it’s green in the tube and turns to a sheer pink on your lips. It’s fine, the packaging is beautiful, the formula is moisturizing, but I just don’t think it’s a $25 lipstick.

9. LAQA & Co. Avocado Lip Butter in “Ninza” – This is moisturizing and such a pretty, rich berry shade. However, it faded quickly. It’s worth keeping but I’d be more likely to wear it to a play than to an entire day at work or something.

FYI, the numbered photos & the second, brighter set of swatches were both taken in natural light – the second set was right in front of an open window, while the primary set wasn’t in direct light. As you can see, I’m still easing into my less conventional colors. And holy cow… could I have more variations of a neutral nude my-lips-but-better shade? One thing this project has made me realize is that I will never be one of those people who has 3 lipsticks they rotate through and that’s it. I love too many different colors and too many different finishes. However, nearly 100 lipsticks is ridiculous, sample-size or not, so I’m hoping this process will help me at least eliminate some of the formulas I dislike.

I am trying out using affiliate links, which means that I may earn a tiny commission if you click on a link or make a purchase through a link posted here - thanks Mom! As usual, I will never, ever praise a product I don't actually believe in.